


Sedona

by ladeusa



Category: USWNT - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-01-23 21:48:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21327196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladeusa/pseuds/ladeusa
Summary: The whole thing of writing a chapter and posting it, then writing another chapter and posting it etc was kind of hard, so i decided to write the whole story before posting it.I did the same to my other story. Both of them are finished. I will be posting each chapter once a week. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.Thank you for not giving up on me.
Relationships: Ashlyn Harris/Ali Krieger
Comments: 9
Kudos: 99





	1. Welcome to the Farm, Ali.

Chapter One

Ali watches the scenery through the car window. Eternal hills of desert terrain and low shrubs intersect with occasional small lakes. The landscape matches the sound of the boxes of her belongings shifting on the trunk, the smell of the new rental car, her mom’s playlist that’s currently blasting over the radio. An Alternative country band sings about red sandstones and Saturday nights, and her mom mumbles incoherent words, trying to predict what’s the next word on the lyrics. 

The past few days had been fun, just her mom, her brother and her. Kyle was starting his sophomore year at UCLA, so the three of them flew to Los Angeles almost a week ago, so he could show them around the city and Ali could buy the last few things she would need to furnish her new dorm room. 

She had acquired a minibar, some drawers, and a shoe rack after texting back and forth with her future roommate about what they might need. The girl seemed nice and Ali really hoped they’d hit it off easily (and soon). Apparently, Kelley (that’s the roommate’s name) had a friend that got accepted and was also assigned to Cardinal Building at Florence Moore Hall. Ali saw this as an opportunity to make two new friends in a place she knew no one. 

All of her High School friends were staying on the east coast and, most of them weren’t even leaving the state. They called her crazy when she told them she’d be declining her Ivy League acceptances and going to Stanford University. 

She knew she was making things harder for herself, but this was a conscious choice. After what she saw as an uneventful high school career, Ali was seeking new and diverse experiences. She saw in Stanford and opportunity to find that while also getting more-than-great education. 

Although her friends weren’t too excited, her mother was beyond thrilled. The trip to Los Angeles was long and stressful by itself, but her mother insisted on not only coming to California with her but also taking the 5-hour long drive from Los Angeles to Palo Alto. 

She could feel her mother’s excitement not only by her eagerness to make the trip but also on how much money she willing to spend. She bought literally everything Ali had asked so far. Yesterday, her mother surprised her with a bicycle, saying that she’d need one to go to her classes and that it was a classic between Stanford students. She tried to reason that she could walk and that her mother had already spent enough, but Deb (her mom) didn’t listen. Ali made a mental note to take a picture the first time she took the bike to class, to show her mom how much she was thankful. 

As was usual of him, her father didn’t match her mother’s excitement. He complimented her on her acceptance, obviously, but made sure she knew how much he’d rather if she attended UPenn or Princeton. “Stanford is too liberal, California isn’t the right place for you, I don’t feel like you’ll take your potential to the fullest,” he said a couple of times over the phone. 

Her parents had divorced almost a year ago and Ken was the one who moved out of the house. He was living an hour from them, the perfect distance to justify weekly phone calls but short enough so he could be there soon in case of an emergency. 

Ali had a feeling that his dislike towards California had a lot to do with her brother recently coming out to their parents. Her mother was her normal supportive self, but her father was struggling. Apparently, Kyle’s sexuality had come as a surprise for him and he was clearly associating it with the fact the Kyle was living in California, a “too liberal state” for Ken. What he didn’t know was that Kyle had come out to Ali a couple of years ago. 

She imagined her father at home, by himself, cursing the gods and praying that California wouldn’t corrupt his beautiful and sweet daughter, who never had a boyfriend before and had never showed any interest in dating. Little did he know that that was one of the reasons she was moving across the country: she wanted to break free from his expectations and the plan he seemed to have traced for her right from her birth. 

“Honey, you should drink some water, it’s been a whole album since I last saw you taking a sip. It’s too dry here, darling, you have to keep an eye on your hydration.” Deb said tossing her a bottle without taking her eyes from the road. 

Ali took a sip to make her mother happy. Despite her excitement, it was clear that a part of her was worried about her baby girl living alone for the first time. She even gave Ali a pepper spray along with other providences, like snacks and some chocolate. She also made sure to get Ali a squeeze bottle she could take with her to classes. Her mother took hydration very seriously. 

The scenery began to change, the dry hills were being replaced by signs of a city. Soon, they passed by a Costco, a Nike Factory Store, a gated community and a hospital. 

“We’re on Silicon Valley Freeway!” her mother said excitedly, making Ali feel inadequate for not understating what was special about it. 

After the third In-and-Out, the city ended and the hills and desert scenery came back, but it wasn’t long before signs signaled that they were close to San José. It wouldn’t take long before they arrived at campus. 

Ali took this moment to reflect on how much her life had changed during this last past year. A year ago she was an overly anxious high school student that could only hope her efforts would pay off eventually. She was still getting used to not having her brother around all the time, she’d spend almost every night working on school projects or studying for exams. Most nights she had to put her headphones on and blast some music so she didn’t have to listen to her parents arguing over - on her opinion - small things. She remembers hoping they’d just divorce already so her mother could move on.

She’d never tell her that, but she always felt like her mother deserved better than her dad. She loved him deeply, but her father definitely wasn’t the best of partners. Her mother was always stressed trying to take care of two kids and the house by herself while still managing to have a successful career. Her father, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered to attend a single teacher-parent meeting. 

When they finally took the Campus Drive, Ali couldn’t take being on the car anymore. She thanked the universe when the spotted the first sign to Florence Moore Hall. 

“What’s the name of your building again?” Deb asked for the eleventh time, and Ali was pretty sure she remembered but was fine with telling her for the twelfth. “Alondra Building at Florence Moore Hall, mom” She smiled, remembering to be grateful for having a mom as invested in her life as Deb was. It could be a little suffocating at times, but overall Ali was thankful for Deb’s support. 

She watched as the view was taken by other cars packed with boxes and thrilled families. The outside seemed to be buzzing with excitement for the unknown, promising future. She was so deep in thought she didn’t notice that her mother had already parked the car in front of her dorm. 

“Ali” Deb said to pull her back to reality. “We’re here”. 

Ali’s bedroom back in her mother’s house wasn’t exactly big, you could say it was a little bit above averaged. She had room for a queen-sized bed, a dresser, a desk and two shelves where she’d put her books. Ali didn’t have many clothes either, she enjoyed going out with her mom and trying as many party dresses as she could, but rarely bought one. 

She doesn’t remember how many times the disposition and organization of her room changed. She’d change the placement of a shelve or a light every time she felt stuck, which was a really constant feeling for her during high school, so it’s safe to say that there had to be many small changes. But she also changed the disposition of her furniture a couple of times, mostly because she had some phases of loving waking up to sunlight on her face, and in some others, she absolutely hated sleeping to anything but complete blackout. 

If you asked her, she’d tell you she didn’t have any specific emotional bound to that room. She did spend a lot of time there and it was probably the place she felt the safest throughout her childhood, but the thought of leaving it never frighted her or caused a nostalgic sadness. 

But the moment she arrived at her dorm room, with her mother in tow and her arms full of bags of her belongings, she felt deeply inadequate. The room was completely empty except for two twin beds on opposite sides, and two sets of desks and chairs, each by a window. There was also a single shelve above the bed and a mirror on the back of the door. 

She didn’t know why, but the emptiness of the bedroom just stuck with her. It was almost as if it was the first time she understood how things were about to change, how everything would be completely different from now on. Like the blank space was a metaphor for the future she had to write on her own. 

“Oh look at this! It’s so nice for a dorm room!” Deb exclaimed excitedly behind passing Ali and placing a box on the bed. “My dorm back in college wasn’t this clean, I can tell you that” She joked while opening the package. “Where do you want to put these?” She gesticulated to the shoes inside. 

“Probably on the new rack we bought, I’m thinking of placing it under the bed,” Ali said, she was still taking in her new surroundings. The autumn sun was shining brightly outside, casting a warming orange light on the walls. It certainly felt cozy, just different. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel after Kelley arrived, she never had to share a room before. 

It took them 3 back-and-forth trips to the car, but all of Ali’s belongings were now spread on the floor. She and her mom took some time to plan where everything should go, ultimately deciding to place her rack and extra shelves under the bed, duo to the height of the mattress. Ali was now focused on folding her t-shirts so she could arrange everything on the small wardrobe. 

“You look so introspective, honey. What are you thinking?” Deb asked from the desk. She was folding her underwear and socks. 

“Nothing special, just trying to go through all the things we should take care of today,” Ali said not taking her eyes from the clothes. 

“Well, after getting things ready around here, we could take a walk around this area of campus and find something to eat. Do you know which books you’ll need already?”

“I don’t but I was told all I had to do was go to the bookstore and tell them which classes I’m taking, they’ll be able to find it for me. Apparently we don’t even have to actually buy them, just rent” Ali wasn’t truly paying attention to the conversation. All she honestly wanted to do was get her things organized and take a nap, but she was feeling guilty for not matching her mom’s excitement. The least she could do was run some errands with her, even if she wouldn’t be needing these books for at least another week. 

“Oh, that’s good. These academic books are usually so expansive. I couldn’t afford some of them when I was in college, so I’d borrow from some of my friends before the exam and I’d spend nights copying everything” Deb told her nostalgically. 

“Well, I know that because of my scholarship we get some discount, so even if I decide to buy some, it’ll be cheaper than usual” 

They worked in silence for a while, but Ali knew her mom well and she wasn’t one staying in silence for too long. After 5 minutes, she turned to see what her mom was doing, finding her still folding her clothes with a sweet smile on her lips, which made Ali smile as well. 

“You know,” Deb said when she noticed Ali was watching “It will be hard being alone at home. I thought Kyle leaving before you would prepare me for when the time came, but I was wrong.” She shared sweetly. “Still, I’m so proud of you.” She finished turning to take a good look at her daughter. 

“It will be hard to leaving apart from you, mom” Ali confessed. Making this kind of confessions wasn’t usual of Ali, and many took that as being ‘cold’. She wasn’t though, she just demonstrated her emotions differently. Being vulnerable scared her a lot, even if it was just her mom. 

Her mother smiled sweetly once more, tears starting to form on the corner of her eyes. “This is a great opportunity, babe. I really want you to take it to the fullest” 

“I know mom, it’s a great school.” They had this conversation many times during the summer. 

“I don’t mean it exclusively academic.” Deb clarified. 

“What do you mean then?” 

“Well, you’re 18, Ali. You’re moving to the other side of the country, everything is about to change rather drastically for you. I don’t want you to be scared or to retreat to your shelf like you normally do. I want you to make friends, make memories, find a boyfriend. Do the things people your age are doing.” Deb explained. Ali was 18 and she wasn’t sure if she had ever kissed before. It was odd for a mom to worry about these aspects of her kid’s lives, but she couldn’t help it. Kyle being gay had opened her eyes, they had many conversations about the relationship during his years of High School. While all the other kids were starting to experiment with the world of relationships and sex, Kyle was still figuring out his sexuality and it wasn’t like there were many openly gay kids in school to ‘experiment’ with him. 

He had a few anxiety attacks during nights, fearing he’d never find someone or that it would be weird if he went to college still a virgin. Deb had to calm him down and assure him that everyone had their time during most of these nights, having conversations she never expected to have with her kids. 

Ali, on the other hand, wasn’t as open about her social life. At first, Ali though she was just more shy or reclusive, but after some time paying attention to Ali’s routine, she reAlised that her daughter probably didn’t have a very active social life at all. She went out with friends every once in a while, of course. But they usually went to the movies or grabbed some coffee. 

Ali was indeed very focused on her career school, but that didn’t seem to be the only reason for having a slow social life. Deb couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but she felt that there was more to it than Ali was letting show. 

“Mom, that’s not the kind of advice mothers usually give their kids who are leaving for college” Ali said a little surprised. 

“Sweetheart, just promise me you’ll try to have fun sometimes” 

Ali knew why her mother was so worried, she didn’t exactly have fun during her high school years. She wouldn’t tell her mom that, but trying to go out more was on her list of things to do at Stanford. 

“I promise I’ll do my best.” She said honestly, and her mom looked enough satisfied with her answer. 

When her side of the room seemed tide enough, Ali and Deb decide to walk to the bookstore. Ali quickly googled the directions and soon enough they were crossing Mayfield Avenue. Their destination wasn’t far, just a 7 minutes walk. 

Before settling on Stanford, Ali did some research on all the campuses, finding Stanford to be her favorite. It had a Californian vibe that she enjoyed, the color palette was so clean and cozy and there were so many trees, she could see herself calling it ‘home’ in a few months. 

They passed by many other students along with their parents, the atmosphere was buzzing. One of the things that made Ali decided for Stanford was that she read on online forums that, between students from all the top 10 universities in the country, Stanford was the one that had the least pretentious ones. 

They passed the Department of Music, a beautiful with huge windows. Ali already had a list of where her classes were taking place, but she had no idea where they were located on campus. She planned on discovering more of campus tomorrow. 

It wasn’t hard to find the bookstore, in part because Ali had seen a picture before leaving the dorm but mostly because of all the students gathered in front, it seemed like everyone had the same idea. 

“Well, this will take some time.” Deb says with an empathetic smile. 

“Yeah, but I don’t really have to take care of this today, mom.” Ali reminds her, she was feeling like staying in the line. 

“We should find someplace to eat then. Do you wanna at least take a look inside the store? Maybe buy some Stanford gear” Deb offers. Ali knows her Mom is dying to buy some Stanford merchandise to wear back home. 

“Sure, Mom” Ali forces a smile. If she was being honest, all she wanted was to go back to her bedroom and lay down for a while. It’s been a very stressful yet exciting day, she needs some rest. But she also felt like she was in debt with her mom. This moment was hers as well, and Ali wanted to give her everything she wanted. 

They entered the store and Ali was hit by the enormous quantity of red sweatshirts, t-shirts, backpacks, water bottles, scarfs, basically everything that you could possibly imagine. Endless shelves of notebooks sporting the tree stamped on the cover, lanyards, keychains, pens, basically everything that you could stamp the classic S with a tree could be seen all over the store. 

She felt overwhelmed. Her mother was already searching the aisles looking for something to take home, while Ali hadn’t moved yet. The line to buy/rent books were by her left, and she could hear the groups of students discussing their classes and being back on campus. She couldn’t understand much, just enough to know that some freshmen were asking for advice. 

She walked down one of the aisles, looking for something she could buy. She wasn’t feeling proud of being there yet, as if the original shock of seeing her dorm room for the first time wasn’t enough to make her understand that her college life was truly about to start. She knew this was due to her fears of not fitting in, of not feeling part of the Stanford community. 

She was very certain of her decision when her father called her to share his reservations towards California, but now she wasn’t felling 100% sure. There was a low voice in her head that made her question whether this was truly the right choice. Would she be feeling better if they were buying Harvard crimson merchandising? 

She was pulled out of her thoughts by her mother calling for her. Deb was holding a sweatshirt and a normal t-shirt, both with the trees stamped on the front. 

“Found anything you like?” Deb asked seeing her empty hands.

“Hm, maybe one of these?” She pointed to one of the t-shirts that had STANFORD sprawled on the chest. 

“I love them, grab one your size and find me on the line, “ Deb said before heading to the register. 

Ali decided that this kind of mind space wasn’t ideal for starting a new phase in her life. She wanted to do her best with this opportunity and the least she could do was buy a t-shirt she could wear to football games. She grabbed a medium-sized one and went to find her mom. 

“Yeah, it’s always crazy around here during this time of the year.” She heard the cashier telling her mom. It wasn’t unusual for her mom to make friends everywhere they went. She was always trying to be friendly to everyone, which would lead up to some very interesting interactions. 

“My daughter Ali- Oh there she is!” Deb continues after spotting Ali approaching “She thought it would be a good idea renting the books earlier, but apparently everyone though the same” Ali gave the clerk a shy smile, almost apologizing for her mom’s behavior. The clerk retributed with a sympathetic one. 

“Are you embarrassed by me?” Deb asked her while they ate their salads. They found a small restaurant called “The Treehouse” not too far from the library. 

“Why would think that?” Ali asked honestly surprised. 

“I don’t know, I just felt like you were a little uncomfortable at the bookstore when I was talking to that girl” 

“I’m not embarrassed. I just find your propensity to make small talks funny” Ali explained. She was feeling uncomfortable, but not out of embarrassment. She just wanted to go back to her dorm. 

“Well, I think it’s only fair we talk to the people serving us.” 

“I know mom, I think so too. I like that about you” Ali smiled lovingly to her mother.

“I hope that’s something you take from me, baby. It doesn’t matter who that person is, what her job is if they’re serving you or not, always treat them like your equal.” Deb instructed her seriously. “That means that you shouldn’t let people trample you either” She added pointing a finger to Ali’s face, making her daughter laugh. 

“I won’t, Mom. I’m a strong woman, you raised me right” Ali reached for her mom’s hand. She watched as tears formed on the corner of Deb’s eyes. “No crying, mom! It’s a happy day!” 

“But these are happy tears, love. I promise!” Deb said while drying her eyes. “It’s just that… you make me proud, Alex. Not just because of this particular achievement” Deb gesticulated to the space around them “But also because of your bravery and courage, your attitude during the whole divorce process. You were great, Alex. You gave me so much strength, you navigated the whole application process by yourself and while I’m sorry I wasn’t much of help, I’m also so thankful for your patience.” Deb confessed.

“I absolutely love you, darling. I’m so very proud of you, Alex. It’s sad to see you go, I’ll miss you like crazy, but my heart is so full right now.” 

“Oh mom, I don’t even know what to say” Ali said emotionally. “I’m so glad you’re my mom, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am now if it wasn’t for you” 

“Nah, Alex. This is all you, love.” Deb smiled warmly while squeezing her hand. “Although I remember a conversation we had a couple of years ago when you decided school wasn’t for you, do you remember that?” 

“Oh mom, c’mon! I was 10!” Ali laughs. After a stressful experience at a science lab, she went back home clamming that she was smarter than her colleagues and wasn’t going back to school anymore. Deb had to sit her down and explain that every person had a different learning process and that there was a lot she still had to learn. 

“You were pretty convinced you skip high school and college altogether and just become a lawyer” Deb laughed at the memory. Ali has always advocated against whatever she judged to be unfair, even if it was just how many popsicles each of her cousins would get. For a long time, Law School was her dream, only changing her mind recently, during the application process. 

“I’m still convinced I could have skipped high school, tho. I could have spared me so much unnecessary suffering” She was never the target of bullies, but she wasn’t very popular either. And regardless of status, high school is always the cause of anxiety and stress. Ali had a particularly stressful experience with high school because of the pressure she was typically putting on herself. Taking a look around, it did feel like all her sacrifices were worth it, but she would definitely avoid high school had she had the chance. 

“Well, it’s hard being a teenager. But you’re a young adult now, college is way different from school. I think you’ll love it” 

Ali gave her mom a kind smile before taking another bite of her salad, wishing more than anything her mom was right. 

“Ok, here we are again. Do you want me to come up?” Deb asks as they stay in front of Cardinal building. 

“Nope, I’m fine. I really just wanna take a shower and go to bed, we have a busy day tomorrow.” Ali says. She had been dreaming with a shower for a couple of hours now. 

“Ok! I’m driving to the hotel then. Call me tomorrow when you wake up!” Deb starts walking back to the car. She had rented a room for the night at a hotel not too far from campus. They’d be attending special events for parents in the morning. 

“I love you, mom. Thank you for today!” Ali said watching her mom get in the car. 

“Love you too baby, sleep tight.” 

Ali stood in front of the door, watching as her mom left the parking lot and took campus drive. It was late, so she assumed Kelley would be at their dorm by now. She should probably offer to help her, as her side was already done. Despite her anxiety and nerves, she was very excited to meet Kelley. She was counting on this friendship to ease her first few weeks of the college experience. 

It took her some time to find her way around back to her dorm, she had already memorized the number and floor, but the number of corridors and stairs was stunning. Walking down the corridor of her dorm, she could hear the buzzing sound of conversations coming from all the other dorms, she could distinguish laughs and lively conversations, shuffling of boxes and packages being ripped. 

She felt lonely, walking down the corridor and noticing everything that was happening around her. She had felt like an outsider most of her life, which resulted in a strange feeling of being inadequate. She got invited to parties and get-togethers, but usually performed the role of the shy girl sitting alone on the couch, mostly just watching the events unfold around her. By 17, she had already categorized every kind of teenage drunk. 

She made a quick stop to the bathroom to freshen up. It had been an intense day and she was expecting to find her roommate soon, so she felt the need to make herself at least a little bit more presentable. 

She threw some water on her face and took a deep breath, putting her mind on a more positive mindset. She headed back to the corridor and rapidly took the few steps between the bathroom and her dorm. 

She didn’t bother knocking on the door before allowing herself in, hoping that an eventual Kelley wouldn’t be on any state of undress. Thankfully, she was met with a very clothed Kelley O’Hara laying on her bed, looking something on her phone. Upon hearing the sound of Ali arriving, she dropped her phone on her stomach. With a smirk on her lips, she said:

“Welcome to the Farm, Ali”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The whole thing of writing a chapter and posting it, then writing another chapter and posting it etc was kind of hard, so i decided to write the whole story before posting it. 
> 
> I did the same to my other story. Both of them are finished. I will be posting each chapter once a week. Hopefully you'll enjoy it. 
> 
> Thank you for not giving up on me.

Ali was currently sitting with her legs crossed on her bed, watching the interaction in front of her unfold: Kelley and a blond friend of hers - who Ali assumed was the famous Pinoe - were having a very vivacious discussion over whatever way should they position Kelley’s photos on the wall beside her bed. Ali had watched them change the whole patterns 4 times already, and she wondered whether her opinion would be welcome or not.

Truthfully, she thought Kelley was overthinking. She heard her say something about a color pattern but all photos were polaroids, which meant they were mostly white. Ali would organize them by theme, but neither of them had thought about it yet.

“You know Kells, you should probably wait to understand how the afternoon sun hits this wall, then you’ll have a broader understanding of how this will look during the time you’ll normally be in here” Pinoe suggested, she had her hands in that typical movie director pose, using the L’s to “frame” the wall in question.

“Hm, maybe. But I really wanna be done with this soon, preferably before we go out for lunch” Kelley said sitting on her bed. Her eyes met Ali’s and she gave the brunette a warm smile. “What do you think, Ali?”

Ali had a brief moment to debate whether giving her real opinion would sound too pretentious. Kelley seemed to sense her hesitation. “You can be honest, you’ll have to see it just as much as I’ll!” She joked.

“Well,” Ali started “They’re mainly white because of the polaroid frame, so I don’t think the light will interfere that much. I’d display them according to theme, like friends, family, etc” She explained. Kelley just looks at Pinoe, who seemed to be going over the suggestion on her head.

“Makes sense, Kelley.” She finally said. “I’m Meghan, by the way. I don’t think I told you my name. Kelley called me saying she had a crisis so I kind of forgot!” She joked.

Ali and Kelley talked a little bit last night, Kelley telling Ali about her odyssey to get to Stanford. She had lost her first flight and had to wait over 5 hours at the airport for the next one, which made her lose her drive from San Jose. Ali listened to her story making what she judged appropriate comments here and there, laughing when Kelley did.

She woke up to Kelley carefully arranging her belongings around the room, mostly adopting Ali’s arrangement. She apologized when noticed Ali was awake, but the brunette clarified that her noise didn’t disturb her.

Ali went to the FloMo dining hall to grab some breakfast and came back to findMeghan and Kelley discussing the photographs.

“I’m Ali, and it’s fine! I kind of assume you were ‘Pinoe’ because Kelley told me she had a friend that’d be living here as well”

“Yeah, most people call me Pinoe. I’m just by the end of the hall, I’m sharing a room with my friend Ashlyn” Pinoe explained while sitting on the bed next to Kelley. “What’s your major?”

“I don’t know yet, probably Urban Studies with a minor on Sociology” They had time before having to declare their majors, but most students already had an idea of what they wanted. “What about you guys?”

“Economics” Pinoe answered.

“She’s a capitalistic pig.” Kelley joked. “Mine is Engineering Physics”

“Oh wow that sounds… intense.” Ali was stunned, already feeling dumb.

“Ha! Well, I love math” Kelley shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll probably grab some breakfast at the diner and take a walk around the campus, see some new faces. Do you wanna join us?”

“I already had breakfast but I could take a shower while you’re eating and meet you guys downstairs for the walk” Ali suggested, she didn’t wanna miss an opportunity of spending some time with these girls, especially considering she really wanted to befriend them.

“Sounds great, Al! Can I call you Al?” Kelley asked.

“Yeah, of course. I’m gonna get going so you don’t have to wait for me” Ali got up and grabbed the clothes she had separated the night before, along with her necessaire. She gave the girls a warm smile before leaving the dorm, heading to the bathroom.

She was thankful when she found the bathroom empty, the last thing she wanted was her first shower to be was along with other strangers. She knew she had to warm up to the idea of being surrounded by strangers most of the time, including at the bathroom. But she would rather leave that first time for later.

She took off her clothes and entered the stall, turning on the hot water. She stood under the facet for a while, just letting the burning feeling take over her body for a while. When it became too hot, she turned the cold water one until she found the perfect combination.

She was usually environment-friendly and very mindful of how much water she was using, but this morning she decided to enjoy a little longer. She loved being around water, one of the things she wanted to do that day was finding out more information about the Avery Aquatic Center and when could she use the recreation pool.

She stared at the tiles in front of her, rearranging her thoughts, trying to go over everything she wanted to do that day. She was definitely spending the morning with the girls, and would probably meet her mom for lunch. She wanted to check out the Aquatic Center and the Cecil H. Green Library, that wasn’t really that far from her dorm. She was already anticipating how much time she’d be spending on both those places.

She had promised her mom she’d put some real effort in being more social, but she was already certain she’d fail. Ali wasn’t sociable, she was shy and confusing. She found talking so hard that she chose to be quiet most of the time, avoiding spending energy on something she already knew was bound to failure.

She stepped out of the shower a few minutes later and wrapped the towel on her body tightly. She found her reflection on the near mirror and stared at her sight. She had promised, and she didn’t break her promises. She had to try, considering that she had nothing to lose.

Ali went back to her dorm to find that the girls had already left. She took a look outside to check the sky and checked the weather forecast on her phone. She decided to go with the outfit she had planned the day before, black leggings and a grey shirt, together with her red vans sneakers.

Going back to the corridor, she found a couple of girls decorating their doors with pictures and words cut out of colorful decoration papers. It honestly looked like they were making a scrapbook out of the door, making Ali cringe internally. Kelley didn’t seem like the kind who would like to do that to their door, and for that she was thankful.

She quickly found Kelley and Pinoe sitting on a desk by a window, both almost done with their food. Pinoe was the first to spot her.

“There she is! We were wondering if you were lost. Grab a chair, we are almost done” Pinoe told her. Ali grabbed the nearest chair and sat on the table with them.

“I’m finding my way faster than expected, but I haven’t seen most of the campus yet, I only checked the bookstore with my mom yesterday, but it was completely full so I didn’t have the chance to grab my books,” Ali told them, not realizing the had been staring the salter the whole time.

“Yeah I passed by it and saw it was packed, good thing is that we still have a couple of days to get the books,” Kelley said. She was intrigued by Ali’s eye game, she was pretty sure Ali hadn’t looked into her eyes so far.

“You guys are two big nerds, that’s all I have to say” Pinoe said making them laugh.

-

\- 

\- 

So far they had visited the Green Library, the Main Quad where most of them would be having classes, Lane History Corner (where Ali had a class about Perspectives on Guilty, one of the classes she was the most excited for) and were currently taking pictures at the Oval.

“So, Ali, where are you from?” Pinoe asked while taking a selfie.

“Oh, I’m from Virginia. What about you two?” Ali answered, a little surprised with the swift of the subject. She had been trying to keep the conversation away from her at all costs and had been successful so far.

“Seattle” Pinoe said looking for another photographic scenery.

“Atlanta” Kelley told her, giving her a small smile.

“Oh, I kind of expected you two to be from the same place, you seem to know each other so well” Ali told them, a little embarrassed by her assumption.

“We’ve been friends for a while, we met at a U-16 camp a couple of years ago” Kelley explained.

“Camp?” Ali sounded confused.

“Yeah, we play soccer and got called up a couple of times for youth camps with the national team.” Pinoe filled her in. “We actually got recruited to play for Stanford, full ride and all”

“Oh, I wonder what I wrote on my application that made them assign me with athletes” Ali wondered out loud. She knew Stanford administration usually placed students with similar living habits together.

“Do you eat healthily?” Kelley asked.

“Yep”

“Wake up early?”

“Uhum”

“Than there you go. You have the same habits of an athlete” Kelley explained.

“Like Ashlyn, she used to play soccer too, so they assigned her with me” Pinoe told them. “She’s nice, it’s a bummer she had things to do today and couldn’t explore campus with us”

Ali didn’t say anything, but she was glad it was just the three of them. Spending the day with three strangers would have been too much for the first day.

“We’ll meet her eventually, right?” Ali said, to which Pinoe nodded, too caught up on her search for a new background for a picture.

They walked by the Aquatic Center so Ali could get some Infos about what periods she could be using the pool, and then went back to The Treehouse to grab some coffee. Ali and Kelley chose a table outside while Pinoe went inside to get their orders.

“So” Kelley said when the sat down. “Tell me more about you” She gave Ali a small smile, trying to get the rather mysterious girl out of her shelve.

“There isn’t much to tell, honestly” Ali answered.

“Oh c’mon! Just tell me the basics, give me something, Als” Kelley pleaded. Ali thought about everything that she had told Kelley so far, trying to find some topic she could just add little info to and satisfy her new friend.

“Well, you already know I’m from Virginia so let me see… well, I used to play soccer as a kid.” That seemed to spark Kelley’s interest.

“Oh really? Which position?”

“Right back! I played all the way until high school, but I stopped to focus on studying” She admitted shyly, realizing that Kelley had to keep her grades high while still playing at a high level in order to be accepted to Stanford.

“It’s a shame that so many players have to make a choice between school and soccer when they reach high school, I’m glad my school had different rules that allowed me to skip some classes to go to practice, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to pull it’ Kelley confessed.

Ali doesn’t quite know what to say, so she chooses to say nothing. She raised her eyes trying to look for Pinoe.

“You’re too shy, Alexandra” Kelley said, watching the girl. Ali blushed, her cheeks turning a dark hue of crimson.

“I’m sorry” She said almost to herself.

“It’s fine. But we gotta bring you out of that shell. Have you ever dated?” Kelley asked curiously.

“What does that have to do with my shyness?”

“I wanna take you out to a party the soccer seniors are hosting next week, I’m just wondering how’s you love life going” Kelley answered shrugging her shoulders.

“Oh, well I’m single. Always have been” Ali admitted.

“Hm, interesting…” Kelley smirked at her.

Pinoe returned with their orders, trying to balance everything in her arms. She took the sit between them and gave them their cups.

“Ok so what did I miss?”

“Ali here was telling me that she never dated before,” Kelley said taking a sip of her coffee.

“Oh well well well, is that true?” Pinoe asks, smirking in a way that Ali can’t understand if there’s a hidden meaning behind or not. She simply nods, trying to keep her cheeks in a normal hue.

“Why is that? Are you waiting for a special someone or are you undatable?” Pinoe asks, enjoying the situation way too much.

“I don’t know, it just never happened. I never truly looked for it, so I guess I’m partially guilty” Ali responds while trying to find a way to swift the topic of discussion.

“You know Kelley, I was right earlier, we sure have to take this one out. Ali, don’t be embarrassed, it’s ok! After all, you’re in the right place to change this situation of yours. So many parties are ahead of you, you can trust these two lesbians here to find you the right man or women” Pinoe gestures between her and Kelley. “Hopefully women though, we trust no man”

Kelley laughs and completes “But no pressure, it was just an innocent joke, I didn’t mean to turn your personal life a whole topic of discussion” she was sensing Ali’s discomfort.

Ali thinks about what her mother had said. She promised to make a real effort on getting looser. She knew that required making a conscious choice of putting herself in not-so-comfortable situations, including discussing her issues with romance, for example.

“You know, I never felt comfortable enough to ‘put me out there’ sort to speak. I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately, I just haven’t figured out yet what I like, I guess” Ali blurts out, taking Kelley and Pinoe by surprise.

“You know what? I’ve known you for a total of 3 hours tops and I’m already feeling so proud. It’s hard to understand things like this, it’s quite a journey actually and I’m sure Kelley here can back me up on this. But it’s a fun journey anyway, figuring out yourself is so important and you’re in the right place, Ali, with the right friends” Pinoe says not sure if the words she’s pronouncing are making any sense when said together. She’s quite out of words, actually, but she feels like it’s her job as a lesbian god to offer some kind of shelter for this very shy girl.

“Yeah, I agree with everything… I guess” Kelly concludes quite confused.

“I’m sorry, it just kind of came out. Anyway, I’d love it if we can change the topic…” Ali blushes again.

“Hey! It’s ok! You just took us by surprise, but we are here for you” Kelly adds.

“Speaking of being together and shit, how do you guys feel about going to the movie night at our dorm tonight? It’s an oldie, but I’m very excited to meet our neighbors” Pinoe invites after taking a few seconds to figure out a way of shifting the mood.

“What time is it? I have to attend some of the parents-student events with my mom, but I’m free after” Ali gladly says.

“7 pm!” Pinoe informs. 

“Well, count me in then” Normally, she would rather read a book by herself than go anywhere with more than 30 people, but she was counting with a lower number of spectators giving that it was an old movie.

“I guess I’m left with no choice other than meeting you guys there. Is Ashlyn going?” Kelley asks.

“I think so, at least she was the one who told me about it so I’m assuming she’s going.” Pinoe thinks. “It’ll be cool, I promise. It’s an old movie and all but it’s the movie club way of introducing their “cause”, hopefully, they’ll bring newer movies in the future.”

“Honestly, I enjoy some classics, especially stuff like Hitchcock” Ali has always been a movie geek.

“Me too! I love Hope and Rear Window” Kelly answers.

“And once again I’m left out by the two big nerds” Pinoe checks her watch. “I think it’s better if we head back, or Ali will be late to meet her mom”

They walked back two FloMo, discussing lighter topics unrelated to anyone’s relationship status. Ali was glad she wasn’t the topic anymore, and actually looking forward to movie night.

_   
_  
_ 

She and her mom had visited most of the campus, and most of the buildings she had visited with Kelley and Pinoe that evening. It didn’t bother her though, mostly because of the excitement on her mother’s face, she actually felt almost guilty for not matching it.

She was trying to enjoy these last few moments with her mom, she’d only be seeing her again on thanksgiving. She tried to capture her essence, her excitement, the way she seemed to be in such awe with the campus, how she laughed at every single stupid joke the tour guide made. She’d miss her mom terribly, she knew that for sure.

They went back to her dorm, where the car was parked. They stood in front of it, while her mom gave her the final instructions.

“Never drink from a mysterious cup, always get a new one if it wasn’t on your sight for even half a second”

“I know, Mom”

“NEVER leave the library too late by yourself. Don’t take rides from strangers, ok? Especially if they’re good looking” Her mom told her one last time.

“Ok, Mom. I promise I’ll take good care of myself.”

Her mom gave her a kiss on her forehead before finally getting inside the car. She started the engine and rolled her window down for one last instruction before leaving.

“Ali, please don’t forget to have fun” She asks, almost pleading.

“I won’t, I’m going to be having fun in about 15 minutes” she said, thinking about the movie club.

“You mean I’m no fun?!” Deb joked before finally pulling out of the parking lot.

Ali stood there for a few seconds, watching as the car rolled on Campus Drive until it left her sight. She was finally parentless for the very first time in her life. Her mom’s voice resonated inside her head, not the part about drugs or ride from strangers, she already knew how to take care of herself. She just didn’t know how to have fun.

She entered the FloMo building and headed to the common area her the Movie Club was supposed to meet. Kelley and Pinoe weren’t there yet, so she sat in the back to save them some seats, making sure she left one extra sit for mysterious Ashlyn.

The room was getting crowded, full of freshmen wearing their brand new Stanford merch, so much the room was impregnated with the typical smell of brand new clothes. Small groups were forming right in front of her, as roommates introduced each other to other friends, laughing and smiling. Ali felt like their noise was growing louder and louder inside her head, almost to the point of being painful.

Kelley finally showed up, fresh out of the shower with her hair almost too wet. She sat beside Ali and the smell of soap was almost intoxicating.

“I like taking long showers, sorry mother nature.” She joked, hoping Ali would crack a smile. “Thank you for saving seats for us, Pinoe must be coming with Ashlyn, they were making the final changes on their room layout.”

“It’s ok, I was with my mom” Ali said, trying to form a phrase that expressed how much waiting for them wasn’t a burden. She had a hard time talking, and this last couple of days full of social interactions were taking it’s toll on her brain.”

A guy that looked like a senior (judging by his lack of Stanford Merch) got stood up and asked for silence. He started to explain how the Movie Club worked, but Ali lost track of his words when the saw Pinoe arriving with who she guessed was Ashlyn.

The girl looked fierce, with a long beachy hair and amazing bone structure. She was wearing a black Nike hoodie, definitely oversized, along with black shorts and Nike sandals. She looked like an athlete on their rest day.

Ali had never seen a human so beautiful in her entire life.

“Hey guys” Pinoe whispered “sorry we’re late, this is Ashlyn” She said gesturing to the girl behind her. Ashlyn gave them a keep “hello” wave before getting on her seat.

The guy from the movie club explained that they had picked a movie called “Stagecoach”, that was directed by John Ford. It was filmed in a city called Sedona, which apparently used to be called “Little Hollywood of Arizona” due to the number of movies filmed there when filming in actual Hollywood was too expansive.

The movie started and Ali was a little bit disappointed. It was about a group of 9 people trying to cross and indigenous territory, using a Stagecoach. It had the charm of an old movie shoot in the middle of nowhere, but it was kind of boring.

The discussion after was more interesting, but nothing extraordinary. What caught her attention though was the handmade banner the members of the club had made with little Infos about the movie. It had pictures of the cast shooting the movie, alongside pictures of the town. She recognized the famous red sandstones right way. One of the pictures was of a statue of a woman, who she didn’t recognize.

Ashlyn, Pinoe, and Kelly were making jokes that she could hardly acknowledge. When the discussion was over, she headed towards the banner to take a closer look at the statue picture.

“It’s Sedona” A girl told her, making Ali jump as she came out of nowhere. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” the girl said, giggling.

“It’s ok, I’m very spooky” Ali told her.

“The city was named after her, that statue is placed in front of the city public library” The girl continued.

There was something about it that held her captivated.

“Can I take it? The picture” Ali asked, only acknowledging the words as they left her mouth.

“Sure!” the girl said, pulling the picture out of the banner and handing it to Ali.

She was busy analyzing the picture and didn’t notice Ashlyn coming her way.

“Hey, the girls and I are heading up, do you wanna come with us?” Ashlyn asked her. Ali noticed her voice was way more feminine than her looks.

“Sure” She said, the sound of her voice barely audible.

“What you got there?” Ashlyn asked, nodding to the picture.

“To be honest, it’s kind of lame. It’s just the picture of a statute of the girl the city was named after” She explained, realizing how none of her captivation made sense.

“Which city?” Ashlyn asked kind of lost.

“Sedona, where the movie was filmed.”

“Oh! They have a movie festival every year, I think. Or is it a music festival? I don’t remember. I know it’s famous for something, but I don’t remember what.” Ashlyn told her while they walked to meet their friends.

“Not a great movie, hun?” Kelley said.

“Not a all, but it was fun” Ali said.

“Not as much fun as next week's party, that I promise you!” Pinoe exclaimed.

They walked the way up to their bedrooms making jokes, Ali mostly laughing at them. She held the picture tight in her hands without even realizing. Their rooms were almost side by side, so they took some time wishing good night to each other.

Kelley was already jumping to her bed, and Pinoe was definitely inside her room. As she walked inside her dorm, Ali’s mind was empty for the first time in a while, so Ashlyn’s voice comes in clear as water.

“Maybe we should go there someday”

Ali looked up to her, quizzed. Where should they go? And who she meant by “they”? Maybe her confusion was stamped on her face because Ashlyn quickly added before entering her own dorm. 

“To Sedona.”


	3. Chapter Three: Coincidences

Ali woke up 15 minutes after the time she was supposed to be awake. There’ was still plenty of time before class and she’ll definitely not be late, but she usually follows her schedule to a t, so waking up late - even if it’s just for her parameters - can be really frustrating. 

She glances over to Kelley’s side of the room, kind her bed empty. She recalls something about her practice being extra early. Ali was beginning to feel comfortable sharing a room with a stranger - although she was starting to consider Kelley a colleague. 

She had her first college class ever that morning, which was making her a little anxious. The name was ‘Introduction to cultural and social anthropology’, she had no idea what to expect from it, so she tried to plan everything she could to compensate for the unknown-part. 

She got her bathroom towel and utensils and headed to the showers. While getting used to sharing a bedroom with someone she had never met before was becoming easier, showering beside someone else was still pretty weird. Today was a typical day, so there was only one more occupied shower, and she got to pick the furthest one. But yesterday was chaotic, there was only one shower available and two girls talked the entire time they were there, making Ali feel utterly uncomfortable. 

She showed quickly, changed her outfit and went to the dining hall to grab breakfast. Another fact about Ali’s college experience so far: she was actually enjoying dining hall food. Kelley and Pinoe actually got to eat somewhere else because they were part of the soccer team, so they couldn’t give their opinion, but before coming to Stanford she had watched some videos on youtube from students who complained a lot about it. 

She went back to her dorm and tried to organize her things. She had no idea who the class was going to be taught so she didn’t know if she was supposed to take her laptop or her binder and pencil case. The thing is: there were a lot of questions to be answered and Ali was getting overwhelmed. She had been feeling overwhelmed for the days leading up to this first-class, uncertainty never sat right with her. 

She ended up deciding on taking both, making sure to get every kind of pencil and pen she owned. It was 10:20 now, and as her first class was 10:30 at the Main Quad, which was only 3 minutes away on a bike, so she sat down on her bed to think.

She knew she was going to be ok, it’s just class! She had been to so many classes before, and she did very well so far. Of course, there were going to be people, and she didn’t know anyone, but that’s ok because she took so many classes that her friends didn’t during high school. Besides, she didn’t have to talk to anyone (which is what she did most of the time). 

She left her dorm and got to her bike, noticing right away that the bike traffic was intense. She had read in a couple of forums that the biking ethics was kind of non-existent, which meant that everyone was rushing all the time and it kind of a source of anxiety for a lot of people. She hopped onto her bike and rode to class. 

//

She got to class 3 minutes early and obviously the classroom was packed. She scanned the place for a sit, when she realized that Ashlyn was there as well, sitting just beside the only empty seat. She sat down and Ashlyn turned to her, flashing a smile.

“Fancy seeing you here, Miss Sedona” 

“Sedona?” Ali asked, confused. 

“The girl from the picture, Miss Sedona” Ashlyn explained. 

“OH! Yeah…” Ali got embarrassed for not remembering, but also kind of surprised that Ashlyn did. “I’m so stupid, this picture is literally the first thing I see every morning because I put it on my wall” 

“You do realize that you’re sitting in a classroom at Stanford… as a student, right? You’re not stupid, I just remembered.” Ashlyn smiled, making Ali blush. Ashlyn turned back to her table and wrote down the date on her piece of paper. 

As the professor began to speak, Ali took a minute to observe the girl: she had beautiful blonde hair, kind of beachy. Her face was full of really light freckles (not a lot compared to Kelley and mostly around her nose) and she seemed to be built like an athlete. Watch got Ali’s attention though was her organization. She was wearing Adidas blue sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt, pairing with Adidas sandals, which basically read as someone who didn’t care. Her desk, on the other hand, was super organized. Her piece of paper was perfectly aligned in the center of the table, she had a mechanic pencil, pens of 3 different colors and her posture was perfect. 

Ali found that contrast adorable, some weird feeling of pride setting in. She had seen Ashlyn once before, but she carried this friendly aura that made Ali feel a little bit more comfortable.

The first thing Ali found out about college-level classes was that it’s hard. She got lost so many times during class, which was an unusual feeling for her. She learned that this specific course would be basically a constant debate between students, so during this first-class the professor explained how these debates would work and which books they should read, and he also explained the evolution of debate throughout history, mentioning concepts Ali had never heard before, and it seemed like she was the only one. 

Ashlyn was taking so many notes while Ali had absolutely no idea what she should be writing down. She glanced over a couple of times, smiling every time she did, which was kind of comforting. 

Maybe Ali’s face read “I’m lost” because halfway through the class Ashlyn passed a note with a doodle of Ali with a big question mark above her head. She also wrote, “R U LOST TOO?”. Ali wrote “you’re taking notes! I thought I was the only one lost :(“ and passed it back to Ashlyn. It took her some time, but eventually, Ashlyn returned the note with a new doodle of her self besides the doodle of Ali. She also had a question mark above her head, which made Ali smile. 

//

When class was over, Ali gathered her stuff, placing Ashlyn’s drawing inside her notebook. She left the classroom trying to decide between having lunch at the dining hall or at the restaurant she went with her mom. Her next class was called “Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Guilt” which was probably as intense as it sounded. She had two hours before it started and it was at the Lane History Corner. 

She was halfway through mounting her bike (read: she was balancing herself on one leg while throwing the other one to the other side of the bike) when she heard her name being called, which made her jump and eventually lose her balance and fall. 

“OH MY GOD” she heard Ashlyn scream. Suddenly the girl was right above her and helping her stand up. “I’m so sorry!” her resemblance screamed that she was truly, deeply, sorry. 

Ali got to her feet with Ashlyn’s help, assessing if there was any injury/blood. “It’s ok! I just wasn’t expecting” there wasn’t any blood so she was fine “Anyway, hey!” 

“Hi!” Ashlyn laughed. “I was wondering if maybe you’d like to grab some lunch with me, I have class at 3 and was thinking we could hang” 

“Hm” Ali said, confused. She was kind of into the idea of having lunch with Ashlyn BUT this did change everything she had planned. She didn’t have a specific plan for lunch but she wasn’t expecting company, and that was a big thing. 

“You know what? I bet you already had plans so maybe we can schedule some other day!” Ashlyn tried. 

“NO!” Ali half screamed, unintentionally “I mean, no, I have no plans, we can grab something at the dining hall and maybe head to some library? I don’t know. I have class at 1:30”

“Oh, ok! Let’s go to FoMo then” Ashlyn suggested. “So, which classes are you taking?” 

“Well, there’s this one we just had, then I have this one at the history corner called ‘Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Guilty’ for Ethical Reasoning, then one class on Sappho for Creative Expression and Development Economics for Applied Quantitative Reasoning” Ali listed her classes. “What about you?”

“Well, I have an Intro to Ancient Greek Ethical Philosophy for Ethical Reasoning, a Science Class for Applied Quantitative Reasoning and Drawing I for Creative Reasoning” Ashlyn had her bag hanging on one shoulder, maintaining her cool vibe, while Ali was nervously pushing her bike. “What are you planning on majoring?” 

“I don’t know it yet, but I’m thinking maybe Urban Studies or Political Science. You?” 

“Architectural Design with a minor on physics,” Ashlyn tells her. Ali looks at her puzzled. “What?” 

“Physics?” 

“I wanna go to grad school” Ashlyn explains. “I don’t know where yet, obviously, but I have to cover my bases you know” 

“You seem very sure” 

“I’m more sure than most people, I think. But it’s ok to not be sure!”

“Well, I’m very not sure. I’ll probably pick this time around next year” Ali tries to sound a little bit more certain. 

They get to the dining hall, pick their food and sit at a quiet table. It was a kind of empty because of the time, so they get to talk calmly which would have been impossible an hour later. 

“So, why Stanford?” Ashlyn asks. 

“What?” Ali asks honestly confused. 

“Why did you come to Stanford? Has it been your dream school your whole life or something?” 

“Hm, actually I never had a dream school. I applied to a couple of safe schools, three Ivys, and UCLA and UC Berkley, but I didn’t have a favorite one, to be honest. After decisions came out, I kind of chose the one I felt like I could start over, I don’t know” She paused to think a little. “I wanted to feel like there was no expectation, or like a role that I should play.” 

“You got accepted to all these schools?” Ashlyn asked. 

“No, I got rejected from Yale and Waitlisted at Columbia, accepted at Brown, UCLA, and UC Berkley…” 

“That’s very impressive… and you were telling me that you’re stupid for forgetting that girl’s name” Ashlyn joked. 

“What about you? Was Stanford your dream school?” 

“Kind of, my top three was MIT, Stanford, and Harvard in no particular order.” Ashlyn explained. 

“Oh, you’re top three was the nation’s top three?” Ali joked.

“Yeah” Ashlyn laughed. “I don’t know how to play safe. I did apply to safety schools but also all Ivys, UC Berkley, UCLA, NYU, Chicago, Northwestern and here, and only got rejected by the UCs” 

“What made you choose here?”

“California” Ashlyn explained.

“Wanted to get away from home? Where are you from?” 

“I’m from Florida, a small city called Satellite Beach. And you’re from Virginia”

“How do you know?” Ali was a little weird out. 

“I looked you up on Facebook” Ashlyn admitted. She didn’t seem to be embarrassed at all, which was weird for Ali because after admitting something like that, she would be super embarrassed. 

“But like… why?” was all she managed to say. 

“Because I really think you’re cute, and you seemed interesting” Ashlyn reasoned, making Ali blush more than she thought was humanly possible. 

“I don’t know what so say” If she was honest, she felt the same way about Ashlyn. She was really attractive and there was something about her that made Ali feel so comfortable. 

“You don’t have to say anything!” Ashlyn laughed. “Tell me about how your feeling about your next class” 

“Honestly? Terribly scared. I was so lost during this one and all he did was explain the guidelines” 

“I thought it was really confusing as well, but hopefully this next one will be better. What stresses me a lot is that ‘intro’ classes are never actually and introduction, I felt like I should know a lot more before actually taking this. I took some special courses at UF during summers and it always sucked at the beginning” 

“YES! I don’t know if it’s not intentional thought. My brother told me that professors sometimes like to start classes being extra-rigid to show us that we are not as hot shit as we might be thinking because we got into prestigious schools” 

“Which school does your brother go too?” 

“UCLA, he’s a film major there” 

“That sounds fun!” 

“He loves it… like a lot” Ali tells her. “That’s kind of what I’m aiming for, to find something that I’m just as passionate as my brother is for film” 

“I bet you’ll find something, just don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself, try to enjoy classes regardless of your major of choice” 

“I’ll try” Ali laughed. She took a glance at her watch and decided that it was better to get going. “I’ll have to leave you here if I want to get in class on time” she said rather apologetic. 

“Oh, ok! See you later?” Ashlyn asked hopefully. 

“Yeah, see you later” Ali told her while already standing up and taking her tray. 

// 

They didn’t actually meet later that day or the next. Ali actually enjoyed both her Monday afternoon class and the Tuesday one as well. It was Wednesday now and she woke up at 8 to go swim a little at the aquatic center. 

She was procrastinating a little alone in her bed since Kelley had already left for practice. She decided to look for Ashlyn on Facebook, which was not an easy task as she didn’t know her last name, but Ashlyn had found her so it wasn’t impossible. She just had to find Pinoe on Kelley’s page and then find Ashlyn on Pinoe’s friend list. 

Her profile was simple, she didn’t post much apparently, but there were a couple of former profile pictures for Ali to see. She was definitely adorable, there was some kind of curiosity and calm aura around her that Ali found so attractive. She adds Ashlyn and goes get ready. 

Ali grabbed some breakfast at the dining hall and headed to the aquatic center. She assumed it would be empty, but she was wrong. There was someone already swimming some laps when she arrived. She changed into her swimming suit and chose the furthest lane so she didn’t have to interact with anyone this early. 

Ali always loved swimming, the water surrounding her body, nothing to think about other than your breathing and the titles under you. Her biggest struggle has always been the fact that she couldn’t turn off her brain, she was always overanalyzing everything, every human interaction she ever had was later analyzed to a T, she always found something that she considered a mistake, which would eventually lead to anxiety attacks. 

Around the age of 11, Ali had her first panic attack. She was at school and all of a sudden it felt like all the air got sucked out of her lungs. Her mom had to go pick her up from school and she eventually schedule a therapy session. Ali didn’t get a diagnosis for the first three months, and that period was a little turbulent because her therapist tried a couple of labors before settling on Asperger’s Syndrome. 

Asperger’s Syndrome was a label for high-functioning autism before it stopped being used. Regardless, it was hard for Ali to understand how different she was from others, especially when it came to social interaction. She didn’t actually like being touched, but it didn’t bother her as much, what she struggled the most was maintaining conversations and understanding sarcasm. At the end of the day, years of therapy, daily meds and exercise were all she needed to get a hold in life, and that’s why swimming was so important for her, she even wrote her application essay on it. 

Swimming made her feel safe and accomplished, it represented that one part of her life that she could control. She didn’t give a crap about her time or whatever, she just wanted to swim. 

After her 30th lap, she decided to take a break. That’s when she heard Ashlyn’s voice. 

“Hey!” Ashlyn called three lanes to her left. 

“Hello” Ali responded a little out of breath. 

“It’s funny that we keep meeting like this, right?” Ashlyn tried to joke smoothly, but Ali wasn’t sure what she was referring too. 

“Like this what? Wet?” She joked.

“Haha I meant randomly, but wet is right” 

“We will keep meeting randomly if we don’t plan to meet” Ali said. 

“Oh, well, it’s true.” Ashlyn said. “Wait, are you asking me out?”

“What?! No! Haha, I just… I don’t know, it was something stupid to say, sorry. I meant that we will always meet randomly if there’s no prior plan” Ali tried to explain her train of thought, which was always difficult. 

“Oh, ok” Ashlyn replied, feeling a little defeated. 

“But we can plan if you want” Ali tried. 

“Ok, let’s plan then” Ashlyn shouted from the other side of the pool. Silence fell between them as they stared at each other, waiting for some idea. 

“Do you wanna grab some lunch later today?” Ali suggested. 

“Sure! I have class at 3, what about you?” 

“1:30, we should be fine. Are you done here?” Ali could feel how this conversation was dragging more than she wanted, talking smoothly wasn’t her forte and she didn’t want Ashlyn to notice. 

“I am, actually, wanna head back together?” 

“No, I’m not done yet” Ali explained. 

“Oh, ok. Well, knock on my door then” Ashlyn said abruptly climbing out of the pool. 

Apparently Ali had plans now. As much as she hated social interactions, she was looking forward to it.

**Author's Note:**

> I did not give up on my other story, I'm just taking the time to write more chapters in the way that I want. 
> 
> I already have 5 chapters written on this one, so let's see if you guys enjoy it.


End file.
